51视频

07/26/2019
By David Perry

For graphic design major Hayley Andrade 鈥�20, a photography class trip to the Azores was a chance to become happily entwined in her family鈥檚 roots. Her grandfather emigrated to the U.S. from the island of Faial in the 1950s when he was 23, and she still has relatives there.

Andrade loves using images to tell a story, and having her ancestral homeland as the subject of her photos was a 鈥渟urreal鈥� experience, she says.

鈥淚 just got into photography in my sophomore year,鈥� she says. 鈥淎nd I just fell in love.鈥�

For Andrew Fournier, the course took him out of the U.S. for the first time, and that proved to be the charm for the 2019 graduate 鈥� he fell in love with The Azores鈥� lush green landscape and stunning mountains.

鈥淕o back? I would love to,鈥� says the fine arts graduate. 鈥淚 couldn鈥檛 believe how beautiful it was.鈥�

Andrade and Fournier were among 11 students who traveled with instructor Anna Isaak-Ross to the Azores for 10 days in May for a documentary image class. The course was co-taught by Isaak-Ross and Pavel Romaniko, a visiting assistant professor in Art & Design, who did not make the trip due to imminent birth of his son.

Meeting weekly during the spring semester, the class used a reading list and personal interviews to explore the history and roots of Lowell鈥檚 Portuguese community. After a class session on interviewing, students headed to the Portuguese-rich Back Central neighborhood to talk to older residents who emigrated to Lowell.

The trip to the islands, says Isaak-Ross, was 鈥渢he capstone to the class,鈥� which focused on teaching the art of visual storytelling. Students were able to use a variety of equipment 鈥� including traditional film cameras, drones and 360-degree cameras 鈥� to work on their final project, a photo book about the trip. The university鈥檚 Saab Center for Portuguese Studies offered key support, says Isaak-Ross, including local connections on the Azorean islands.

They touched down in Ponta Delgado, the capital of the island Sao Miguel.

鈥淭he people at the center helped us connect with key people everywhere we went,鈥� says Isaak-Ross. Upon arrival, they were taken to a 鈥渉uge welcome meal.鈥�

The class met with mayors, the director of regional communities of the Azorean government, and other officials. In addition to Sao Miguel, they visited the islands of Graciosa and Terceira. 鈥淓verywhere we went, we were treated like royalty,鈥� says Isaak-Ross.

On Terceira, they witnessed a running of the bulls. And on Graciosa, they photographed a religious procession, a working farm and oceanic splendor.

During interviews in Lowell, a woman had described in detail a place on Terceira she frequented in her youth. 鈥淭he students found it, or found what they think is the location,鈥� says Isaac-Ross.

Fournier had always wanted to travel before his graduation, 鈥渁nd I鈥檓 so glad this was the trip,鈥� he says. 鈥淚 wasn鈥檛 sure what it would be like, but it gave me a chance to put to use the photography skills I鈥檇 learned. We had lots of time to explore, but we thought visually the whole time, deciding what pictures to take.鈥�